Each year, millions of Americans become ill from food poisoning, and as many as 5,000 of them die.
Seven tiny microorganisms are responsible for most of these illnesses and deaths. Despite the fact we have one of the safest food supplies in the world, Americans are at risk.
Fortunately, there are ways to quickly and safely destroy the disease-causing microorganisms in the food you buy before it ever reaches the store shelves. Unfortunately, there is a politically inspired movement afoot to prevent the use of these life-saving devices.
Irradiation, the zapping of food stuffs with electron beams, X-rays or gamma rays, has been shown to be a safe and effective way to kill potentially life-threatening bacteria like E. coli, listeria and salmonella often found in food. So says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Agricultural Department, the General Accounting Office (the investigative arm of Congress), the World Health Organization, and 40 countries worldwide that are already irradiating food.
San Diego-based Titan Corp. is the manufacturer of one such pasteurization device. Called Surebeam, Titan’s machine uses an electron beam to kill food-borne bacteria.
Unfortunately, Titan’s Surebeam technology finds itself smack in the middle of a political propaganda war waged against food irradiation by the consumer group Public Citizen. Founded by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, Public Citizen has a lengthy history of public service to American consumers, but its actions in the case of food irradiation only gives the group a black mark.
Though its main concern is with the use of radioactive materials used in gamma ray irradiation technology, Public Citizen has chosen to attack all forms of irradiation, including electron beams and X-ray devices, which are electronic and use no radioactive isotopes.
Much to its discredit, the consumer group has attempted to raise public fears about irradiation by spreading false “scientific facts” about the technology. Their misinformation claims irradiation will expose consumers to large amounts of radioactive food, will create dangerous chemical changes in irradiated food, and will expose food workers to vast amounts of radiation.
All of these claims have been shown to be false by the agencies listed above. In fact, irradiating food to kill microorganisms is little different than exposing it to electromagnetic radiation , an act most American families do each day when they pop a frozen dinner into the microwave.
Maintaining the safety of America’s food supply is of utmost importance. Any technology devised to make food safe should, indeed, be given close scrutiny. But once it is found to be safe, those who claim to represent consumer safety interests should embrace it, not try to block it.
